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Q-Squared
| Pages = 434 | Year = 2370 | ISBN = 0671891529 (hardcover) ISBN 0671891510 (paperback) (Kindle) | AB = Yes | ABAbridged = Yes | ABReadBy = John de Lancie | ABPublisher = Simon and Schuster Audioworks | ABPublished = | ABRunTime = 3 hours | ABISBN = 0671891804 (cassette) (Audible }} A struggle between Trelane and Q endangers multiple realities of the Enterprise-D. Summary ;From the book jacket: :In all of his travels Captain Jean-Luc Picard has never faced an opponent more powerful than Q, a being from another continuum that Picard encountered on his very first mission as Captain of the Starship ''Enterprise. In the years since, Q has returned again and again to harass Picard and his crew. Sometimes dangerous, sometimes merely obnoxious, Q has always been mysterious and seemingly all-powerful.'' :But this time, when Q appears, he comes to Picard for help. Apparently another member of the Q continuum has tapped into an awesome power source that makes this being more powerful than the combined might of the entire Q continuum. This renegade Q is named Trelane - also known as the Squire of Gothos, who Captain Kirk and his crew first encountered over one hundred years ago. Q explains that, armed with this incredible power, Trelane has become unspeakably dangerous. :Now Picard must get involved in an awesome struggle between super beings. And this time the stakes are not just Picard's ship, or the galaxy, or even the universe - this time the stakes are all of creation... While on a mission to the Planet Terminus, three parallel Enterprise''s find themselves in great danger when the entity known as Trelane discovers a power unlike any other. Soon, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his crew are caught up in a battle not only for their lives, but for the very fabric of existence itself. Memorable Quotes "''And you accuse ''me of arrogance? Picard, I could blast this ship out of existence if I felt like it. I could grow hair on your head. Turn your crew into embryos, force Worf to recite doggerel. I could turn your ship inside out, your reality outside in. I am not being condescending, Picard... not that I'm incapable of it, you understand, but this simply isn't one of the times. Now, what I most definitely am, Picard, is arrogant. Why? Because I have a reason to be. I have a right to be. So... mortal... what's your excuse?" : - '''Q' "What fascinating creatures those little humans are! And what a true tragedy that they develop into dour, humorless beings called adult humans." "A tragedy, yes." : - Trelane and Q''' "What... what was that all about?" "Fate of the universe." "Again?" : - '''Dr. Crusher and Picard. Background Information * The audiobook version was abridged by George Truett. * The plot of this novel repeatedly shifts among three different parallel universes or "Tracks," consisting of: ** Track A: A variant of the normal Trek universe. *** Jack Crusher is the captain of the . *** Jean-Luc Picard - demoted to commander after the Stargazer court martial - is the ship's first officer. *** Jack and Beverly are divorced, and Wesley died at the age of four after he fell out of a tree trying to see Jack. Picard and Beverly are engaged in a romantic relationship unbeknownst to Jack. *** Geordi La Forge is one of Beverly's nurses in sickbay because of all the medical devices he used when he was young. *** Tasha Yar and Data (this Data being a "human-oid" - a positronic brain in a flesh and blood body) have an ongoing relationship. *** William T. Riker and Kira Nerys are prisoners of the Romulans. *** Will and Deanna Troi are married, and have a eight-year-old son named Tommy. *** Worf dwells in the Klingon Empire. He is high-ranking and has aspirations for a seat on the High Council. His parents died on Narendra III instead of Khitomer. *** The bartender in Ten Forward is named Caryn Johnson. (This is also the real name of Whoopi Goldberg, who plays Guinan.) *** James Kirk's middle initial is R. ** Track B: The normal Trek universe as we usually see it. ** Track C: A version of the "Klingon war" storyline as seen in , but one where the ''Enterprise''-C failed in its mission and the war with the Klingons continues. * This novel offers an explanation as to why Captain Kirk's middle initial in is seen to be R: the events of that episode are said to take place in the Track A universe. Gary Mitchell's power in the episode is also explained as being absorbed from Q, who is hiding from Trelane in the galactic barrier. * Trelane's name is said to be a shortening of "three lanes", indicating the three timelines that Trelane tried to control. His birth as a Q is also discussed as being a direct result of his death, mainly that when Trelane was destroyed at the end of the novel, a spark of his being remained, was named "Tre-Lane", and then became the Trelane that Kirk and company later encountered in . Trelane's entire existence is therefore said to be one continuous loop. Characters Track A ;Jack Crusher : Captain of the (alternate timeline). ;Caryn Johnson : Yeoman who runs Ten Forward in this alternate timeline. ::Also the real name of actress Whoopi Goldberg, whose character of Guinan fulfills the same function in Track B. Track B ;Claire : Mrs. Claire was a teacher in one timeline. Track C ;Jean-Luc Picard ;Geordi La Forge ;Beverly Crusher ;William T. Riker ;Trelane ;Q ;Natasha Yar ;Data ;Deanna Troi ;Worf ;Hikaru Sulu ;Sela ;Ensign Chafin :Named after T.A. Chafin. ;Barclay ;Guinan : runs Ten Forward in the alternate timelines B and C ;Alexander Rozhenko ;Argyle female alternate timeline A ;Ensign Joseph ;Cavalieri ;Mot ;Amanda Rogers ;Wesley Crusher ;Sonya Gomez ;Distefano ;Ensign Sanders ;Lucy ;Natalie ;Selan ;Turo ;Commodore Hikaru Sulu (hologram) ;Paul Manheim References ; ; ; Starfleet; ; ; ;Narendra III ;Neutral Zone ;Farpoint Station ; : Starfleet ship. ; : Starfleet ship. ;Sarona VIII : Planet. ::In this novel, the planet was Sarona 7 External link * cs:Q-Squared de:Q² Category:Novels Category:Audiobooks